Hero of the Future
by Acolyte451
Summary: A young man fights against the new hierarchy of Japan. He helps those who can't help themselves, but he's no hero. Sticking to the shadows, he will change things for the better, or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

Hero of the Future

**? P.O.V.**

"Time is relative"

I'm told that some famous guy hundreds of years ago said that. It found Its way to me through the words of my teacher. It resonates with me for one reason or another. Maybe it's because his sensei said it to him once, or maybe it's just one of those things.

But…I like to think it's because I was born in the wrong time.

**3****rd**** Person P.O.V**

The boy found himself walking in the streets. He walked with his head low, hoodie covering his features as he walked through the crowd. He listens in to the people walking by him. It's easy when most people are silent, then the voices seem to scream out to his ears, almost begging him to invade on the privacy of the strangers.

He can hear everything, from the complaints to the threats. That's all everyone says these days. One would be a fool to expect any decency in the world, or at least this part of it. The boys face scrunches up at this. It's sad living in this world. Hard to believe that he had just missed the boat to the golden age.

Back when there was happiness that accompanied, overshadowed, the doom and gloom that consumed everything surrounding him today. Back when heroes patrolled the city endlessly all day, and police would cart away any villain the heroes beat. And who could forget All Might. That's all in the past though.

Now there were no heroes. No cops. However, villains seemed to be in surplus at this point. Everything keeping Japan going is owned by some villain or another. Every business, every restaurant, and every pawn shop.

That's just the way things were now. The boy knew there was no point imagining the good old days, but he couldn't help himself. In his mind, it was so easy to see himself standing amongst the heroes of the days long past. One of the people standing against the evil and defending the weak of the world. But that just wasn't in the cards for him.

The boy kept to himself as he walked down the crowded sidewalks, listening to the people he walked by with little to no interest. He didn't have any destination in mind. He was just walking, getting lost in his thoughts along the way. He doesn't get to think long, however, as a scream for help brings him back to the world around him. The sound originates from the alley up ahead. The one most people are obviously avoiding while others are downright ignoring. The boy didn't blame them. They didn't want to involve themselves. That's how the world worked.

The thought made him frown.

After walking past the alley as casually as he could, he used his quirk to pull himself up to the roof of the building. Now was his time to shine.

In the alley way, two figures stood. One was a woman, dressed in what looked like casual clothes and was struggling to keep her belongings away from the other person occupying the alley.

"Listen Lady, I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to, but your kind of taking the choice away from me." The man says to the woman he cornered in the alley moments prior.

"Please don't. Why are you doing this?" the woman yelled.

The man rolled his eyes. How could this woman not know the reason? The world was, mugging and robbing had practically become a trade of sorts. Entire industries were built off it these days. The man just sighed before shoving the lady against the wall. The woman called for help, desperate for anyone to save her. When it became apparent no one would save her, she turned to her own quirk for help. Her nails grew longer and sharper and she rushed the man with a panicked swing of the arm. The man caught the arm and retaliated with a punch to the gut. He swung the woman around before slamming her into the wall, more forcefully this time. The dazed woman couldn't think straight, pain racked her entire body, and blood was cascading down the back of her head from the head wound.

"Told you I didn't want to hurt ya…and look what you made me do" the man mumbled to himself.

He bent over and grabbed the woman's purse, before turning to leave the alley with his prize money. However, when he turned around two shapes shot out of the ground and stabbed him in both of his shoulders. He would have screamed had the pain and shock not caused the air to suddenly leave his lungs. He looked at the two black rods that pierced both of his shoulders in silent horror as his blood fell down his arms and torso. Then another shape shot out of the shadows towards him. A black hand roughly shoved his head against the brick wall, leaving him disoriented. The woman's bag had been placed back at her side by another black tendril before receding back to where it came from. The man looked around in fear looking for his attacker but found no one. The hand on his forehead pulled his head forward before slamming it back again. The rain started as he looked up at the sky in a dazed stupor. Below him two shapes formed before launching at him. Time seemed to stop for the man as he felt immense pain erupt from his abdomen. Looking down, he saw two new black tendrils had pierced his body. One in his stomach, and the other in his chest. And as he coughed blood, the tendrils receded into the shadow, allowing his body to fall onto the hard concrete. The boy stared down in the alley from his spot on the roof before turning and walking away leaving the alley to be filled with the sounds of quiet sobs of a traumatized woman, the last breaths of some unnamed crook, and the falling rain.

The boy arrived at his home, an apartment building that looked to be falling into disrepair, and walks in to see a figure sitting on a couch with the t.v. on. He walks up and sits down with the man taking in whatever the news was talking about. The storm was going to last for a few hours.

"So," the man broke the relative silence, "where were you tonight…. Izuku?"

"You know, Stain sensei," Izuku returned casually, "Just the usual."

The two sat and watched the news before Izuku gets up and walks of to his room. He throws his hoodie off and collapses on his mattress. Sleep overcoming him.


	2. Chapter 2

'This world has gone to shit' the middle-aged man thought to himself as he walked through his hideout.

He walks to the door while putting his coat on, and before he leaves, he uses a mask to cover his lower face. As he opens the door, he takes notice of the flickering streetlamp a little way down the street. This isn't anything new to the man, as nearly every streetlamp in the area seems to be busted or on the verge of being broken. The man keeps going, intent on getting lost within the crowds.

"…Hopefully there's something to do…"

As he found himself going further into the city, he couldn't help taking in all the damage. Almost every building was falling apart in some way. Cracked walls, sinking roofs, broken window, etc. He couldn't help but roll his eyes when he looks at them. He had known this kind of thing would happen. With villainy on the rise, normal jobs like just won't cut it anymore. A few repairmen still exist, as does the construction industry, but what's the point when you have the choice to do better for yourself at the cost of others.

The man stopped and looked up at the cloudy sky, rain still falling from the day prior. The crowds had cleared a little, but he wasn't alone. People walked around him without care. That means no one recognized him. Ensuring the mask was still firmly in place, he continued to his destination.

As the man walked back to his hideout, he paid attention to the things around him. The sun was coming up, meaning he had been out all night. The rain hadn't let up yet which left him drenched in his clothes. His mask was kind of stuffy, but paranoia kept him from taking it off. He noticed the way the wind blew the overgrown grass, how more and more houses in the neighborhood seemed to be boarded up every few days. But what stood out most to the man was the person trailing him.

This person was good. His footsteps were quiet, and he made no moves reveal himself. That made the man narrow his eyes. The person had every opportunity to get the jump on him, but still chose not to reveal himself. He looked to the left at one of the houses, covering his attempt to get a look at the person tailing him. The person wore a heavy trench-coat with a large hat. Looking forward he continued acting as if he hadn't seen anything.

As he walked with a calm expression on his face, he thought of who was tailing him. He was a professional, judging on his actions so far, and he didn't want his identity revealed. The only thing left to think about was the 'why' this person was following him. Maybe he wasn't as careful with his identity as he thought.

As the two continued to walk through the rain tension filled the air. Both could feel it building but neither showed it. Both continued walking through the neighborhood silently. The man walked further ahead of the person trailing him, passing his safehouse while staring ahead of him. Walking to one of the more deserted areas of the neighborhood. When he was surrounded by nothing but empty houses, he stopped. The person following him didn't make a sound.

"…Your decent…."

The person didn't move or speak. What was his goal? He knows he's been caught, so why does he remain silent. The figure stood there silently for a second. Then he spoke in a voice that made the man curious.

"You haven't lost your edge…."

The voice was a bit gravely, and if he wasn't listening closely he'd have missed it with the distance between them. But why was it so familiar? The man didn't get the chance to really ponder it, because the next thing he said put him on immediate guard.

"Your really hard to find…Dabi…."

The man didn't hesitate. He opened his hand, palm facing backwards, and released a massive torrent of blue flame directly at the stalker. The man, Dabi, turned to face the person only to find nothing but a burning coat. Dabi was immediately on the defensive, spreading his hands out towards the tall grass on either side of the narrow street they had been walking on, tempted to set it ablaze.

No.

That would draw attention, and he had worked too hard to remain undetected for so long. He had to deal with this guy quickly. He looked out into the grass, searching for movement, listening for any sort of sound, anything that would give away the stalkers position. He had heard or seen nothing. Until something came flying at him from the roof of one of the abandoned buildings. Dabi recognized it immediately as some kind of capture foam pellet that had been going around on the streets lately. Disables the quirk of anyone it touches. They wanted him alive.

Dabi jumped away, shooting flames directly underneath him to give himself enough thrust to effectively dodge the pellet. When he landed, he unleashed another wave of blue flame at the house he saw the pellet come from. He saw a figure jump away from it into the grass and move quickly for more cover, but Dabi sent more blue flame. The grass caught fire and the figure jumped onto another house. The house was engulfed in blue flame and the figure jumped from the house. In mid-air, the figure threw another pellet towards Dabi. Dabi was able to dodge it but had again lost sight of his target.

Dabi heard the stalker land behind him, he turned quickly, ready to unleash more of his fire, but stopped upon seeing his opponent clearly. He stood there in what looked like a homemade ninja outfit with a long red scarf, and a white face mask over scaly green skin.

They both just stood there in silence for a moment, tense and unsure of what would happen next. Dabi was the first to move, putting his arms down and allowing the blue flames in his palms to flicker out. His facial features relaxed and his intense gaze became a half-lidded one of nonchalance.

"…. Well this is a surprise. What brings you in search of me after all this time, Spinner?"

Spinner slowly relaxed his stance, the pellet in his hand remaining there.

"…Follow me…." Spinner said, walking past Dabi towards where they entered the neighborhood.

Dabi said nothing, only staring directly ahead of him while deep in thought. After a moment of consideration, he adjusted his mask and turned to follow Spinner. Spinner tapped his hear before speaking again.

"Bring it around."

After the words left his mouth. A van came down the road. It was all white and stopped where the roads of the neighborhood intersected with each other. The side door opened to reveal another familiar face, a figure dressed in a skintight black outfit with white lines forming a T on his torso and making what could be a W on his upper legs. His head was covered by a mask with the bottom half black and the top half white.

"Dabi! Good to see you, _Go away_!"

The Morning light came in through the window onto Izuku's face. He had been awake for a while now and had been deep in thought about what had happened the night before. It wasn't his first kill, but this one was different. There was a reason he hadn't stepped in right away. The man was dangerous, but he was hesitant.

He had no qualms about killing, that was certain. But he was almost annoyed by it. That wasn't what some street mugger was usually like. Violence was something almost every one of them had in common. Why was this one so different. He could have been in one of the local gangs for protection, but with his Quirk and skill he wouldn't be doing lowly grunt work.

He sat up in his bed, stretching before getting up and heading to the bathroom

Izuku went out the door, the rain from the night before still lingering. He went down the stairs and left through the back into the courtyard. It was a little overgrown, grass and weeds growing through the tile path going through the old garden. The garden circled around a clearing. In the center was a man sitting in silence, with slightly ripped jeans and a black shirt. He had a gray bullet-proof vest on with metal shin and arm guards. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed. On his lap was his sword. His expression was calm, matching the serenity of his surroundings.

As Izuku approached him, he opened his eyes. He grabbed his sword and sheathed it.

"You slept in." He said

"I had a lot to think about." Izuku returned casually.

Before Izuku even finished his sentence, Stain had moved. In a blur he was in front of Izuku with a small throwing knife in hand. The blade inched closer to Izuku's face as a black substance rose from the shadow beneath his feat, forming a wall between the two. The knife stops as it hits the substance. It then begins to sink into it. Stain releases the knife and jumps away as the substance chases after him. He dodges to the side when a black pillar slams into the ground next to him. He dodges again as a black hand shoots out from the pillar in an attempt to grab him. He keeps moving, keeping an eye on Izuku. Izuku is still in the center of the clearing, his eyes following stain as he moved at heightened speeds. His shadow had come alive, wiggling in squirming beneath his feat, and growing smaller as the black substance expanded.

Stain was forced to duck as more black substance in the shape of a spear shot towards him from his right. The point turned and sped back towards him. He threw another Knife where the substance bent, severing the tip from the rest of the substance originating from the shadow of the trees behind him. The severed tip evaporated as it fell to the ground. Stain continued to dodge and avoid the substance as it started to close in on him. He threw knives and cut at weak points as he went, his face showed his focus and strain in every move he made. If he had any time to think he would curse his growing age.

Izuku didn't show it on the outside, but he was struggling. Controlling so many shadows at once was straining his mind. But that was the point. He watched as his sensei jumped and ducked under his black constructs. When a knife flew at him, he manipulated his shadow to form a wall. When he saw his constructs be sliced by his sensei, he created another one from the shadows around them. He saw he was slowly closing off all of sensei's escape routes, which was good, but he was warry. His sensei only had so many knives, but he only had one sword.

And he still hadn't unsheathed it.

Stain flew through constructs as they formed, destroying the ones he couldn't avoid. He kept looking towards Izuku, making eye contact only briefly before returning his attention to the constructs. A spear flew at him from the left. He dodged to the left only to have to jump over a hand coming up from the ground. He threw a knife at the hand as it changed directions and ducked underneath a pillar shooting out from the shadows of the trees. As he slid under the pillar, tendrils erupted from the substance and tangled around his arm. In a flash the tendrils were shattered with a knife pulled from his dwindling supply.

"What was on your mind?" Stain said casually as he dodged another tendril attempting to impale his shoulder.

"Some thug that I took care of last night." Izuku said, trying to hide the strain of controlling all of the shadows around them.

Another knife was thrown at Izuku only to hit the black wall from Izuku's shadow. Another spear shot at Stain from his right while multiple tendrils erupted from the hand that he had sidestepped. He jumped up and over the spear while slashing at the tendrils with a knife. One of the tendrils wrapped around the knife and shattered it. As he landed Stain ran straight towards Izuku. His hand reached for his sword strapped to his back. With a flash of steel, the tendrils chasing after him were sliced apart. Izuku sent another spear at Stain and sending a group of tendrils underground. As the spear reached Stain, he jumped while turning to block the spear. The momentum pushed him closer to Izuku, where the tendrils burst from the ground to take advantage of his lack of mobility.

Stain grabbed behind the spear head and pulled himself to left as he fell away from the tendrils. When he landed on the ground, he continued to sprint towards Izuku. The constructs behind him vanished as Izuku realized they wouldn't do much good. As Stain approached rapidly, he had a hand form from the shadows of the tree's behind him. Stain appeared before him with his sword already coming down on him. He manifested his shield from his own shadow and blocked the strike. Stain jumped upwards just as black spikes erupted from the shield. While in mid-air, Stain threw a knife towards Izuku. Izuku's shield disappeared as the hand from the tree's grabbed onto Izuku's jacket and pulled him away from Stain. As he was being pulled away stain threw another knife towards the wrist of the construct, causing the hand to become severed from the rest of the construct. Izuku rolled across the ground as Stain ran at him again. Stain slashed at Izuku from the right and was blocked by his shield. A tendril appeared from the bottom of the shield and wrapped around Stains leg. As stain cut the tendril, hands from the trees appeared and grabbed onto his arm before he could recover his stance. Izuku's shield went down and he jumped up and launched a kick to stains face.

Stain twisted his body to counter. Izuku's foot missed as he sailed over his sensei. Stains own foot curved up and would have smashed into Izuku's shoulder if tendrils from the hands holding his sword in place hadn't pushed him from his sensei. Unfortunately, one of the spikes on stains foot had cut into his shoulder. Enough to draw blood. Stain was able to break out of his weakened restraints and quickly wiped some of the blood from his boot. As he ran towards Izuku, he ingested the blood and saw the telltale signs of his quirk activate. Izuku had fallen to the ground and laid on the ground. Stain threw a knife at Izuku's downed form, which was stopped by the shadow of the motionless boy. Stain jumped over the shield and threw his last knife at a hand that tried to grab him. He then swung his sword at the tendrils that surrounded him in a final attempt to grab onto his sensei. Stain cut through them and landed on Izuku's back. He placed his sword at his neck, and with that the fight was over.

"Good job. Your getting better at controlling multiple constructs. You still need to work on making them denser."

"Yes, Stain sensei."

"Come inside when the effects where off. We can talk about what's bothering you in there."


End file.
